LGBTQ teens in Ann Arbor lead the anti-bullying movement

Riot Youth is an Ann Arbor-based group that supports and advocates for LGBTQ teens. For those who don't know, that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning.

Four years ago the group surveyed students in Ann Arbor schools about bullying and sexual orientation. Using the results of that survey, and drawing on their own experiences, the teens wrote a play about bullying that they perform in schools across the state.

Thornton, who identifies as transgender, said the group has been a life-saver. "I found Riot Youth and I realized there were not just other transgender people—there's a spectrum of other identities within the queer community, and that we all can come together and just be ourselves."

Thornton performs in Riot Youth's theater troupe, and said it's an empowering way to open up to students and adults about bullying experiences.

"When you turn around and you can see the adults' faces, they're really tuned in and they're really listening," said Thornton. "With students we have, now, small group discussions afterwards where we split up. And people share. They are really telling us their own experiences, and it's eye opening for both sides."

Wernick said the only requirement for performers is that they attend one rehearsal. "We find that it's an incredibly empowering experience for the youth. It really builds their self-confidence, self-esteem, their sense of self-efficacy in the world. So we try to give as many opportunities as possible for as many youth to participate in the troupe."

It is important, too, that the performances and discussions are student-led.

According to the survey results, youth are more likely to speak out against bullying when they see other youth intervening.

"They know what needs to happen in the schools, they know what's wrong, they know that things need to be changed, they know effective ways of intervening. And so what we need to do is support them," said Wernick.

This fall Riot Youth brought their cause to change.org, where a petition to block a controversial version of Michigan's anti-bullying bill received over 55,000 signatures.

Riot Youth aims to create an inclusive space for teens, regardless of their differences.

"A lot of youth have really found a safe space in Riot Youth, another family, and I think that's one of the biggest rewards we can have is just having so many youth here, who feel they can talk to us and be themselves and they don't have to be afraid of anything. That is just amazing to see every Friday," said Thornton.

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A petition calling on state lawmakers to approve a strong anti-bullying bill has received more than 50,000 signatures.

The petition was started by an 11th grader and an 8th grader in Ann Arbor, on the website change.org.

Mark Anthony Dingbaum, with change.org, said the two students – Katy and Carson – want the bill to list characteristics that should be protected from bullying.

He said the students who started the petition have first-hand experience with bullying.

“They identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, across the board,” said Dingbaum. “And I know that they’ve spoken out on this issue before, and I know that they were very interested in having their voice injected into the conversation this time.”

Dingbaum said the current proposal leaves gay students out of the conversation and unprotected.

“In the process I think these students voices are getting lost, and I think what’s been really inspiring for me in hearing Katy and Carson’s story is that those groups, those enumerated groups, those enumerated protections in the bill are essential because they are the groups that are most likely to be bullied in school,” said Dingbaum.

The petition also calls on lawmakers to require schools to report bullying incidents to the state.

Democratic leaders in the state Senate say the anti-bullying measure approved by the state House last week is not perfect, but it’s a good start. They say they hope to approve that bill in a couple weeks, and will continue to push for listing and reporting requirements in the future.

Equality Michigan, an advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, released a statement in response to the passage of the anti-bullying bill:

We’re thrilled that we were able to eliminate the destructive ‘license to bully’ that the Senate first approved in October. National outrage provoked by the last-minute substitution to allow bullying based on religious beliefs is a clear indicator that our Senate majority is out of touch with the voters.

That being said, we’re disappointed by the weak version of the bill passed today. Directed by the biases of a few, our Senate missed another opportunity to do right by our kids. Today’s bill will do little to stem the tide of bullying because it doesn’t enumerate commonly targeted characteristics. Case studies have found that school employees are unlikely to recognize and report incidents when bias bullying is not placed deliberately on their radar. Both Oregon and Washington passed weak bills like this one and had to go back and revise them years later when data showed the initial bills had failed. This kind of delay is not an acceptable response to Michigan's bullying crisis.

11:19 a.m.

An anti-bullying bill has cleared the Michigan legislature after the Senate passed the House sponsored bill this morning.

The bill, HB 4163, steers clear of controversial language included in an earlier Senate version of the bill (SB 137). That bill protected statements based on moral or religious beliefs.

Public forums on bullying will be held this month in Detroit and later this year elsewhere in the state. But not everyone agrees that more school or government programs are needed to curb bullying. Glenn Stutzky is with Michigan State University's School of Social Work. He says the solution lies in the home. "I believe that parental involvement is actually crucial, and it's often the most overlooked aspect of this," Stutzky says. "I think that the home, and in particular the parents, may be one of the biggest resources that should be being used, but aren't."